Qu Chuxiao

Qu made his acting debut in 2016 with a leading role in the romance web series My Fair Lady.^[4] He then starred in the historical fiction dramas Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace, playing Yongqi,^[5] and Rule the World, playing Dorgon.^[6] In 2018, Qu gained popularity for his starring role as a shadow assassin in the wuxia web series Bloody Romance.^[7][8][9]

Qu debuted on the big screen with a minor role in the comedy film Father and Son in 2017.^[10] He then starred in the films Twenty, Graduating,^[11] and Oh Boy!. In 2019, Qu starred in China's first interstellar science fiction film The Wandering Earth, playing the lead role.^[12] The film was a major success and became the fifth highest-grossing film of all time in China.^[13] Forbes China listed Qu under their 30 Under 30 Asia 2019 list.^[14]

Qu then starred in the 2021 films Love Will Tear Us Apart and The Yinyang Master. In 2022, he starred in the coming-of-age television series Shining for One Thing.^[15]

In 2019, after the release of The Wandering Earth, Qu's previous social media activities came under scrutiny. These included his involvement in online groups related to PUA and stalking, as well as his anti-gay and anti-feminist statements.^[16]

In July 2018, Qu established his own studio, leading to a tense relationship with his agency, Top High Pictures. By late March 2020, despite Qu having already started martial arts training for the role, he was replaced as the male lead in the costume drama The Long Ballad, with Leo Wu stepping in as a substitute. On March 27, Qu posted an Instagram story expressing gratitude to the director and crew for their support while jeering at Top High's alleged attempts to blacklist him by forcing his replacement due to contractual disputes.^[17][18]

In April 2020, Qu and actress Wan Zilin were photographed on a date in Beijing. However, Qu denied the relationship on Weibo. A few minutes later, Wan posted on Weibo, "I was just told that I had a breakup. Thank you for your concern."^[19]

Four days later, Li Fan (Helen), who identified as Qu's ex-girlfriend, published payment records of Qu's hush-money and photographs of her whip marks and bruises, claiming that she had been abused by Qu in their relationship.^[19] In December 2020, another woman made similar claims, alleging that she had been physically abused and thus suffered a miscarriage. The second woman later posted a phone recording in which she was threatened by Qu's agent, but also admitted that she had never been pregnant. Both women claimed that they became depressed and suicidal because of Qu. Qu's lawyers denied all the allegations while his agent claimed the recording was "maliciously edited."^[20][21]

Qu's vehicle Shining for One Thing (2023), the film adaptation of his breakout TV drama of the same name, grossed over 70 million yuan in pre-sale box office on December 5, 2023, making it China's highest first-day pre-sale box office earner. By December 15, half a month before its official release, the total pre-sale box office had surpassed 250 million yuan. However, by December 16, over one million people had received refunds on Maoyan and Tao Piao Piao, two of China's largest ticketing platforms, with an average refund rate of 18.1% across both platforms. During the New Year's holiday period, Shining for One Thing achieved a first-day box office of 400 million yuan and 326 million yuan on the second day. On the third day, the box office dropped to 57 million yuan, a steep decline of nearly 83%. Both the abnormally high refund rate for pre-sale tickets and the steep box office decline after release led to allegations of box office inflation and fraud.^[22][23]

• Qu (surname 屈)

• Qu Chuxiao at IMDb